On a weekend trip to Texas, before he was due to start work, Alan took Angela to visit Christ's Haven for Children, where he had grown up. This trip would significantly change Alan’s career path. He had always dreamed of becoming a children's home administrator, but thought it would be much later in life. However, during his visit "home", he learned that a position for an Executive Vice President was vacant. He struggled within himself. He now had to choose between the two opportunities–a position in Washington with President Bush's Administration, or a position at the children's home. Alan chose to use his talents directly helping children who were in situations similar to his own in his younger days.

Alan would later have the opportunity to work for Eckerd Youth Alternatives, Inc. (EYA), one of the nation's leading and most successful not-for-profit, child-care organizations serving more than 50,000 vulnerable youth in the United States. He served as the Vice President of Government Relations and was the organization's youngest Vice President in its 35 years of service. There, he directed all professional and pro-bono lobbying activities for $65 million in revenues from state programs and agencies and was responsible for the development of legislative and policy strategies that impact at-risk children and youth in Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida.

Realizing the Dream

The Lord called Alan and his wife, Angela, to the vision of founding a Christian children’s home, Liberty Youth Ranch. They initially felt they were to start Liberty Youth Ranch in Texas, where Alan knew many people who would be willing to fund the startup expenses. The Lord led them, however, to Southwest Florida where the need was significant for a long-term children's residential home.

In many ways, Alan's life experiences have been a season of preparation for Liberty Youth Ranch. Because of people who had understood the importance of funding a long-term children's home in Fort Worth, Texas, 13-year-old Alan had a permanent place to call home and was given liberty from an abusive life. Now Dimmitt wants to make sure at-risk, abused, neglected, and hurting children have the same opportunity in Southwest Florida.